May 11, 2018

17 Vegetarian, High-Protein, Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Some days it’s hard enough to simply get yourself our the door in time for work in one piece, let alone eat a healthy breakfast. I totally get it. You rush out the door trying to remember everything you need for the day and already thinking about work. As you wait in line for your coffee you realize your getting hungry and opt for that sugary muffin, bagel, or even protein bar so you simply have some sustenance to carry you through to lunch. Let me first tell you, it doesn’t have to be that way.

So what exactly does a “healthy” breakfast look like? Well like all meals, breakfast should include a fiber rich carbohydrate as well as some protein with limited amounts of added sugar. The protein helps to keep you full and satisfied until your lunch, the carbohydrates give you some energy and the fiber will stabilize your blood sugars by slowing your digestion of the carbs. For more on protein check out the post I wrote here.

Surprisingly breakfast for a lot of people can contain a lot of sugar. For example, if you put 2 packets of sugar in your morning coffee thats 8 grams of sugar (1 packet = 1 teaspoon = 4 grams of sugar), add a medium size muffin, which can have around 30g or more of sugar, and you are starting your day with you daily allowance of sugar. The World Health Organization recommends daily intake of added sugar should ideally be 5% of total calories or about 25g for a 2,000 calorie diet. Definitely not how you want to be STARTING your day! I digress, lets get back to breakfast.

So what CAN you eat to start your day on the right foot?

1. Plain greek yogurt or skyr with fresh berries and chia seeds.

This is such an easy grab and go breakfast. If you have a refrigerator at work you can even keep it at the office so if you don’t have time to eat at home you know you have a healthy option waiting for you. Greek yogurt has around 20g of protein, if you want a flavored yogurt try to stick to one that has less than 10g of sugar.

2. Oatmeal with nut butter, cinnamon, berries and flax or chia seeds.

1 cup of cooked rolled oats has 8g of protein adding 2 Tbsp of nut butter will give you around 7g of protein as well. It’s a tasty breakfast with natural sweetener from the berries that will boost the vitamins and add some antioxidants to your day as well. The flax or chia seeds give you fiber as well as a boost of heart healthy omega-3 fats. Giving you a well balanced, quick and tasty weekday breakfast!

Another option for your Sunday meal prep. Make these muffins for grab and go breakfasts or snacks. You can even double or triple the recipe and freeze them for the weeks you are really busy and run out of options.

Maybe you don’t think of quinoa for breakfast but it is actually delicious and a good source of protein. I like to make a big batch of quinoa for the week and you can use it for dinners, buddha bowls, or this breakfast. If you don’t have already made quinoa start cooking it when you wake up, it only takes about 15 minutes to cook. Top 1 cup with an egg and you have about 15g of protein.

Granola and milk is an easy thing to always have on hand. Please remember most nut mylks like almond, cashew, etc do not have protein in them. Some brands have added protein now but make sure to look at the label.

Did you know you scramble tofu like you would scramble eggs? Yep, you can and its super easy. Try this ten minute recipe and you’ll have a new favorite.

15. Avocado Green Smoothie

Using avocado is a great base for smoothies because it adds a creamy consistency while being low in sugar with heart healthy fats. Just be sure to use 1/2 an avocado because they are calorie dense. Here is a good, simple recipe:

16. Whole Wheat Toast with Nut Butter and Hemp Hearts

You can use you favorite peanut, almond, tahini, sunflower etc. nut butter. Be sure the ingredients is simply nuts, no added palm oil or sugar. Top it with 1/2 a banana, strawberries or other fresh fruit. Hemp hearts have 10g of protein per 3 Tbsp as well as omega-3 fats which are good for your heart.

For when you want something a little sweet for breakfast. Made with a variety of nut flours that have protein as well as soy milk.

One of my favorite protein powder is Bob’s Red Mill Protein and Fiber. It is unflavored and unsweetened with pea protein. You can find all sorts of vegan protein powders on the market but make sure to check sugar content, some of them have a lot.

I hope you enjoyed the round-up of recipe ideas. If you have some favorite breakfast ideas please share them in the comments!! I’m always looking for new ideas as well.